Released in 1970, the Minimoog could be used in live performance, which helped introduce electroacoustic tools into the pop world. At this time, the two major synthesizer producers were Moog and ARP (Alan Robert Pearlman) A number of “alternative” music groups would use these instruments, with varying degrees of success: Genesis, Gentle Giant, Frank Zappa, Ash Ra Tempel, Klaus Schultze, Can, Popol Vuh, Tangerine Dream, Faust, Pink Floyd.

Also around this time, two other approaches to the use of contemporary technologies would develop into their own genres. A “naturalist” movement using recordings of real-world sounds would emerge and become what is known today as Acoustic Ecology. The origins of the other approach can actually be traced back to the 1930s–40s: appropriating the tape recorder and microphone for their own use, poets use them in a fairly direct, raw manner, giving rise to Sound Poetry as well as other tendencies.